Rapid Transit:Housing Affordability
Alvin Lin, Tom Black, Jenil Doshi
“ Policy QuestionShould the Broadway Subway project be extended to UBC?
Research QuestionHow does extending the Broadway Subway project to UBC influence regional housing affordability?
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Background
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● The Broadway Corridor is one of BC’s more important economic centres○ Second largest employment hub ○ Connects UBC and Vancouver General Hospital
● Lack of sufficient transportation○ According to the C.D. Howe Institute, congestion can cost anywhere
from $0.5B to $1.4B
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● In Summer 2018, Phase Two of Translink’s 10-Year Vision was approved, confirming the construction of the Broadway Subway
● The Broadway Subway project includes:○ Extension of the Millennium Line
from VCC-Clark to Arbutus St.○ Planning for a further extension to
UBC (approximately 7 kms)
● According to 2016 Conference Board of Canada Report, the net present value of benefits of extending the Millennium line to UBC are estimated to exceed $4 billion
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Evaluating the Benefits of Rapid Transit
● Conventional Benefits - Reduced travel costs, reduced operating costs
● Impact on Housing Affordability
● Agglomeration Benefits - Productivity gains
Literature Review
Baum-Snow and Kahn (2000):
● Added convenience of living near transit station tends to increase the housing prices
● The authors argue that potential time savings benefits are reflected in higher housing prices
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Glaeser et al. (2008):
● Public transit proximity drives housing prices downward as impoverished households are more likely to converge near the transit stations to capitalize on decreased transportation costs
● Rich households are willing to incur greater transportation costs to possess more land in order to live in larger houses
Our Approach
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Data
● British Columbia Assessment Authority ○ Raw Roll Data (from 2014 to 2018)
■ Addresses ■ Floor area ■ Building type
○ Raw Transaction Data (from 2005 to 2015) ■ Sale prices ■ Assessment values
● Acquired through a Data Use Agreement with the UBC Centre of Urban Economics and Real Estate
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Economic Framework
Isolating the effect of transit on housing prices
▪ Regression analysis of a property’s sale price on its proximity to the nearest transit station
▪ Compare the effect before and after the Canada Line is constructed
▪ Controlling for: ▫ Floor area ▫ Condos vs. Detached homes ▫ Time trends▫ Neighborhood differences
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Calculating proximity to the nearest station
1. Plot properties and Canada Line stations to calculate distances
2. Identify the nearest station11
3. Use straight-line distances to create five “distance rings” at
200m increments
Key variables
▪ Sale prices of properties from 2005 - 2015▪ Distance rings at 200m increments
▪ Nearest rapid transit station▫ Helps us segment the Canada Line
▪ Floor area ▪ Building type▪ Transaction dates▪ Neighborhood of the property
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Results
14Change in sale prices after the Canada Line was constructed
Sale Prices and Proximity to Transit
▪ Prices start relatively high▪ Decrease until 2km ▪ Increase at greater distances
▪ Potentially because of the tradeoff between the added convenience and congestion associated with proximity to transit stations
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The Canada Line increased average housing prices throughout Metro Vancouver, but the effect varies considerably by region
▪ Binary distance variable▪ Segment areas along the
Canada Line
Takeaways:
▪ Positive effect ▪ No consistent effect of
increasing distance ▪ Largest effects in “Vancouver
- Residential” areaHow does the effect of proximity to transit on sale
prices change after the Canada Line is constructed?
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Although average prices increased at the municipal level, certain areas within municipalities saw an opposite effect
▪ Five distance rings at 200m increments
Takeaways:
▪ Properties in “CBD” and ”Other” align with narrative
▪ Prices increase across the board in the “Residential” area
▪ Unclear pattern “Richmond”
How does the effect of proximity to transit on sale prices change after the Canada Line is constructed?
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The construction of the Canada Line made properties which are closer to public transit more valuable than those further away
▪ Price disparity between properties within 1 km and those greater than 1 km away from a station
Takeaways:
▪ All positive effects in Ring 1▫ There’s value in living
near rapid transit▪ Negative effects after Ring 2
in “CBD” and “Other”How does the average price disparity between
properties close to transit and those far away change after the Canada Line was built?
Summary of findings
▪ The Canada Line increased average sale prices in Metro Vancouver
▪ Effect of proximity to transit on housing sale prices is not uniform▫ Properties in “Residential” and “Richmond” affected the most▫ Some properties in “CBD” and “Other” see price decreases
▪ Trade-off between convenience and congestion associated with proximity to transit▫ The extent to which residents value convenience and congestion
likely vary by region
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Conclusion
How does extending the Broadway Subway project to UBC influence regional housing affordability?
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▪ We preliminarily conclude that the proposed project would have a
▪ This effect varies by region and proximity
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Research Limitations
▪ Distance measures and travel methods
▪ Net expenditures & access preferences
▪ Zoning changes
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Ring Distance Shortcomings
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Monthly Savings
Per Trip 1 trip per day 2 trips per day
Arbutus >> UBC $2.55 $55.47 $110.93
Net Expenditures & Access Preference
This is evaluated using a time value of $11.41/hour provided by the client
● Changes in net expenditures have not been measured
● How do transit time savings and housing prices affect utility?
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Zoning Regulations
● B.C. Government recognizes RRT encourages transit oriented housing
● Millenium Line extension may encourage densification
● Estimated that zoning Vancouver similar to Langley may lead to 2.3% increase in housing starts (The Fraser Institute)
● Land regulation in Vancouver is estimated to have lead to an average $600,000 increase in prices from 2007-2016 (C.D. Howe Institute)
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Further Research:
● Rent Data Analysis
● Network Distance
● Consumer Preference studies
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Thank you!Questions?
Appendix
OLS Regression 1 - Binary distances
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OLS Regression 1 - Point-estimates
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OLS Regression 2 - Distance rings
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OLS Regression 2 - Point-estimates
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Graveyard (To be deleted)
Table of Contents
● Policy and Research Question● Background ● Knowledge Gap ● Literature Review ● Our Approach ● Results and Discussion● Recommendation● Research Limitations & Next Steps
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